We come together to solve one of Mexico's major public health challenges: Obesity.

Obesity is a pandemic we have faced for a long time. It is a global problem affecting individuals, families, and countless communities everywhere. In Mexico and the world, obesity leads to serious health problems, including cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, and diabetes. In addition to its impact on health, obesity bears social and economic costs.

Consult the anual report of the Institute for Research on Obesity to learn about our achievements and notable projects.

The Institute generates forefront knowledge through scientific rigor and analysis, developing ideas and innovative solutions to the problem of obesity through inter- and trans-disciplinary work and creating scientific-technological companies to improve the health and well-being of people and society.

The Institute for Obesity Research at the Tecnológico de Monterrey is a non-profit initiative aimed at generating scientific knowledge, ideas, and innovative solutions for the complex health issue of obesity.
The complexity of this chronic disease, obesity, requires interdisciplinary work to beneficially impact the quality of life, health, and well-being of individuals with overweight and obesity. Additionally, it involves influencing social actions, population health, and public policy to prevent and combat obesity, reduce stigma, and facilitate education about obesity.
The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute allows for multiple collaborative initiatives within the institution and externally, strengthening the research lines of our investigators and expanding the applicability of research to international initiatives.

The Institute meets and exceeds international standards of research ethics. This not only allows the use of its own financial resources but also enables competition for obtaining resources from national and international external sources through various schemes, including competitions, joint developments, and philanthropy. These resources are utilized for research, training highly qualified human resources, and developing solutions for obesity and its complications.
The Institute for Obesity Research at Tecnológico de Monterrey serves as a catalyst for significant advancements in understanding and treating obesity. Its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration with global impact positions it as a leader in the fight against one of the most urgent health challenges of our time.

Discover

Generation of knowledge for healthy eating and the prevention and reduction of obesity

Develop

Development of therapies, procedures, and devices to combat obesity and metabolic diseases

Enable

Facilitator of science-technology-based companies that promote metabolic health

Support

Support for decision-making that builds healthier societies

Dr. Marco Antonio Rito Palomares
Director of the Institute for Obesity Research

Get to know his work

Dr. Leonardo Mancillas
 Clinical Director of the Institute for Obesity Research

Get to know his work

Dr. Guillermo Torre Amione
Rector of TecSalud

Get to know his work

Dr. Richard Willson
Faculty of Excellence

Get to know his work

Dr. Per-Olof Berggren
Faculty of Excellence

Get to know his work

Dr. Omar Lozano García
Leader of the Bioengineering and Medical Devices Unit

Get to know his work

Dr. Rocío Isabel Díaz de la Garza
Leader of the Integrative Biology Unit

Get to know her work

Dr. Gerardo de Jesús García Rivas
Leader of the Experimental Medicine and Advanced Therapies Unit

Get to know his work

columna 

For its vision and structure: a unique institute of its kind.

We come together to solve one of Mexico's major public health challenges: Obesity.

Obesity is a pandemic we have faced for a long time. It is a global problem affecting individuals, families, and countless communities everywhere. In Mexico and the world, obesity leads to serious health problems, including cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, and diabetes. In addition to its impact on health, obesity bears social and economic costs.

Consult the anual report of the Institute for Research on Obesity to learn about our achievements and notable projects.

The Institute generates forefront knowledge through scientific rigor and analysis, developing ideas and innovative solutions to the problem of obesity through inter- and trans-disciplinary work and creating scientific-technological companies to improve the health and well-being of people and society.

The Institute for Obesity Research at the Tecnológico de Monterrey is a non-profit initiative aimed at generating scientific knowledge, ideas, and innovative solutions for the complex health issue of obesity.
The complexity of this chronic disease, obesity, requires interdisciplinary work to beneficially impact the quality of life, health, and well-being of individuals with overweight and obesity. Additionally, it involves influencing social actions, population health, and public policy to prevent and combat obesity, reduce stigma, and facilitate education about obesity.
The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute allows for multiple collaborative initiatives within the institution and externally, strengthening the research lines of our investigators and expanding the applicability of research to international initiatives.

The Institute meets and exceeds international standards of research ethics. This not only allows the use of its own financial resources but also enables competition for obtaining resources from national and international external sources through various schemes, including competitions, joint developments, and philanthropy. These resources are utilized for research, training highly qualified human resources, and developing solutions for obesity and its complications.
The Institute for Obesity Research at Tecnológico de Monterrey serves as a catalyst for significant advancements in understanding and treating obesity. Its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration with global impact positions it as a leader in the fight against one of the most urgent health challenges of our time.

Discover

Generation of knowledge for healthy eating and the prevention and reduction of obesity

Develop

Development of therapies, procedures, and devices to combat obesity and metabolic diseases

Enable

Facilitator of science-technology-based companies that promote metabolic health

Support

Support for decision-making that builds healthier societies

Dr. Marco Antonio Rito Palomares
Director of the Institute for Obesity Research

Get to know his work

Dr. Leonardo Mancillas
 Clinical Director of the Institute for Obesity Research

Get to know his work

Dr. Guillermo Torre Amione
Rector of TecSalud

Get to know his work

Dr. Richard Willson
Faculty of Excellence

Get to know his work

Dr. Per-Olof Berggren
Faculty of Excellence

Get to know his work

Dr. Omar Lozano García
Leader of the Bioengineering and Medical Devices Unit

Get to know his work

Dr. Rocío Isabel Díaz de la Garza
Leader of the Integrative Biology Unit

Get to know her work

Dr. Gerardo de Jesús García Rivas
Leader of the Experimental Medicine and Advanced Therapies Unit

Get to know his work

columna 

For its vision and structure: a unique institute of its kind.

Seeks the development of foods that prevent and combat obesity and other comorbidities associated with metabolic syndrome.

What does this unit do?

It selects the varieties of plant, animal, and single-celled species relevant to a diverse, healthy, and sustainable diet. Additionally, the interactions among nutrients and other chemical compounds during food processing, storage, and digestion are validated to design better foods for different populations.

Healthy Food

In Mexico, healthy food production is very variable due to the wide range of climatic conditions and migratory movements that have occurred and continue to occur in the national territory. On the one hand, traditional production systems focus on the diversity of vegetable crops and collecting local fruits and seeds that encourage a diverse diet. On the other hand, in some regions of the country, there is a greater degree of technology to increase the yield and quality of food, advancing the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal #2 (SDG 2): zero hunger. Finding a balance in these approaches would move us toward fulfilling SDG 12: Responsible production and consumption.

Your food is your medicine

For centuries, it has been recognized that the consumption of healthy foods has a close relationship with good health in the present and future. Today there is a wealth of scientific evidence supporting the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Hippocrates' phrase "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food" leads to three grand challenges:

1. How to design food for population groups already suffering from certain chronic-degenerative diseases?
2. How to design foods that help prevent these diseases?
3. Understanding the reactions between a food's components and an individual's state of health

Currently, there are advances in understanding nutritional needs and the relevance of consuming antioxidant compounds, immunostimulants, and other beneficial health effects, but further research is required to support each individual to make the best choice based on their habits, customs, traditions, and specific needs. That is one of the challenges of this unit.

Dr. Marilena Antunes Ricardo
Research Professor

Characterization of phytochemicals in plant matrices for the development of health foods with immunoeoeutical and/or cosmetic potential.
Get to know her work

Dr. Anayansi Escalante Aburto
Research Professor

Characterization of nutraceutical foods of plant origin. Nutrition, eating habits, and health.
Get to know her work

Dr. Iván Andrés Luzardo Ocampo
Research Professor

Functional foods based on cereals and legumes. In vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and in silico approaches to study the effect of food matrices and metabolites in models of inflammation and obesity.
Get to know her work

Seeks the development of foods that prevent and combat obesity and other comorbidities associated with metabolic syndrome.

What does this unit do?

It selects the varieties of plant, animal, and single-celled species relevant to a diverse, healthy, and sustainable diet. Additionally, the interactions among nutrients and other chemical compounds during food processing, storage, and digestion are validated to design better foods for different populations.

Healthy Food

In Mexico, healthy food production is very variable due to the wide range of climatic conditions and migratory movements that have occurred and continue to occur in the national territory. On the one hand, traditional production systems focus on the diversity of vegetable crops and collecting local fruits and seeds that encourage a diverse diet. On the other hand, in some regions of the country, there is a greater degree of technology to increase the yield and quality of food, advancing the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal #2 (SDG 2): zero hunger. Finding a balance in these approaches would move us toward fulfilling SDG 12: Responsible production and consumption.

Your food is your medicine

For centuries, it has been recognized that the consumption of healthy foods has a close relationship with good health in the present and future. Today there is a wealth of scientific evidence supporting the prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Hippocrates' phrase "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food" leads to three grand challenges:

1. How to design food for population groups already suffering from certain chronic-degenerative diseases?
2. How to design foods that help prevent these diseases?
3. Understanding the reactions between a food's components and an individual's state of health

Currently, there are advances in understanding nutritional needs and the relevance of consuming antioxidant compounds, immunostimulants, and other beneficial health effects, but further research is required to support each individual to make the best choice based on their habits, customs, traditions, and specific needs. That is one of the challenges of this unit.

Dr. Marilena Antunes Ricardo
Research Professor

Characterization of phytochemicals in plant matrices for the development of health foods with immunoeoeutical and/or cosmetic potential.
Get to know her work

Dr. Anayansi Escalante Aburto
Research Professor

Characterization of nutraceutical foods of plant origin. Nutrition, eating habits, and health.
Get to know her work

Dr. Iván Andrés Luzardo Ocampo
Research Professor

Functional foods based on cereals and legumes. In vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and in silico approaches to study the effect of food matrices and metabolites in models of inflammation and obesity.
Get to know her work